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Show Utahns Pay Highest Combined Tax Rate of All Western States, Utah Foundation Reveals I Utah Foundation reported today to-day that Utahns paid a total of more than $350 million in federal, fed-eral, stare PfiiJ local taxes and fees during the fiscal year ended end-ed June 30, 1953. This represents an average tax burden of $-175 for every man, woman and child in the state. The average family fam-ily of four paid $1,900 in direct and "hidden" taxes and fees during dur-ing the year. More than one dollar dol-lar out of every three earned in Utah last year was required to make tax payments. Approximately two-thirds of this tax bvrdeii was devoted to federal taxes either direct or indirect, in-direct, Utah Foundation analysts reported. In other words, the Federal Fed-eral tax load imposed on Utahns was twice as great as the state and local tax combined. In 1910 the situation was almost directly reversed, with state anl local taxes tax-es being twice as great as the federal tax burden. Although federal taxes have increased inotv rapidly than state and local taxes in recent years, the Utah Foundation study pointed out that state and local impositions are a significant part of the total. Between 1940 and 1953, total state and local taxes have about trebled. A recent nationwide na-tionwide study revealed that Utah had the sixth highest combined com-bined state and local tax burden in the nation. Utah's total state and local tax burden in proportion propor-tion to total income was found to be higher than that of any other oth-er western state. According to the Utah Foundation Founda-tion researchers, Utah levies every major kind of tax imposed in any of the western states with the exception of gambling taxes. Most of these taxes were imposed im-posed during the 1950s. Prior to that time, state and local governments govern-ments in Utah relied almost exclusively ex-clusively on the general property prop-erty tax for their revenue. Combined state and local taxes tax-es amounted to $102,241,365 in the fiscal year 1953, compared with $80 million in 1950. $47 million mil-lion in 1945, $35 million in 1950, and $26 million in 1930. the Utah Foundation study detailed. Property taxes produced 90 per cent of state and local revenue in 1930, 52 per cent in 1940, 45 per cent in 1950, and 41.3 per cent in 1953. The sales tax accounted for 12 per cent of state and local lo-cal taxes in 1940 compared with 16.8 per cent in 1953. Taxes on income, in-come, both corporate and individual, individ-ual, furnished 4.4 per cent of the taxes to operate state and local government in 1940, rising to 8.3 per cent of the 1953 total, accord-ing accord-ing to the Utah Foundation study. The Utah Foundation research report discusses the history, the rates, and the impact of each of the major taxes imposed by state and local governments in Utah, but with no attempt to evaluate their desirability or equity. Such an evaluation is currently the object ob-ject of a study by the Utah Legislative Leg-islative Council and the Tax Commission. A tax consulting organization, or-ganization, Princeton Surveys, hap been employed by the state to assist in the study. A copy of the Utah Foundation research report on the Utah tax system is offered without charge to any interested citizen of Utah upon written request to the Foundation. Requests should be directed to Utah Foundation, 400 Darling Building, Salt Lake City. The report contains a detailed tax chart, showing the complete Utah tax system the legal citation ci-tation for each tax, the year first , enacted, the basis of the tax, the' rates, the yield in 1953, and the purpose for which the tax rev-1 enue is used. ' |
